Doug Marshall back on national television … where he belongs

Visalia mixed martial arts fighter Doug Marshall is back where he belongs – in the national spotlight.

Marshall, the former World Extreme Cagefighting light heavyweight champion, hasn’t been on national television since he lost his title to Brian Stann at WEC 33 back on March 26, 2008.

“The Rhino” will make his return to national TV when he fights Kala Hose (7-5) in a middleweight feature fight on the Bellator 82 fight card.

The show will be aired from the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant, Mich. on MTV2 at 5 p.m. if you have DirecTV or Dish Network. The fights will air at 8 p.m. if you have cable.
Marshall comes into the fight with a 14-6 record and has gone 6-3 since losing to Stann.

Hose, fighting out of Waianae, Hawaii, comes in on a three-fight losing streak.

Even though Hose has lost three straight, this fight figures to have some fireworks. All seven of his wins have come by knockout, and one thing local MMA fans know about Marshall is that he likes to stand up and bang.

Marshall has nine knockouts and four submissions in his 14 victories. Just one of his wins has been by decision.

In fact, just one of Marshall’s fights has gone the distance – a controversial split decision victory over Jaime Jara at PFC 13 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino on May 8, 2009.

Odds are this fight won’t last very long, which is probably why Bellator decided to put it on the main card.

I found it interesting that Marshall was on the main card even though he took this fight on short notice. Giva Santana, who recently defeated Marshall via submission and boasts a 17-2 record, is also on the fight card, but is relegated to undercard duty.

Santana, also known as “The Arm Collector,” doesn’t necessarily bring a style that is pleasant for viewers. He is a jiu-jitsu specialist, who has won 15 of his fights via submission.

I haven’t talk to Marshall lately, but I have a sneaky suspicion that his relationship with Christian Printup helped get him on the nationally televised main card.

Printup was the promoter that agreed to give Marshall his first fight way back on Oct. 17, 2003 at WEC 8 in Lemoore.

The two have forged a friendship over the years, and Printup is now working for Bellator.

Whether or not Printup did Marshall a favor, Marshall is deserving to be on the main card.

He has a strong fan base at home in Visalia and the entire Central Valley.

Now he has the chance to make himself a household name when he gets back into the spotlight, which we all know he is not afraid of.